Jackpot!
The Penguins hit the NHL's version of the lottery Friday when they won the rights to select phenom Sidney Crosby in the July 30 player draft.
The 17-year-old Canadian superstar is billed by hockey experts as the next Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux.
It was Lemieux who saved the franchise 21 years ago when he was selected by the Penguins with the first overall pick in the 1984 NHL Draft. Lemieux now will serve as mentor to Crosby, who said he plans to be in uniform for the club when it opens the 2005-06 NHL season Oct. 5, which also is Lemieux's 40th birthday.
"Unbelievable," said Crosby of the opportunity to play with Lemieux, who aside from captaining the Penguins is the team's majority owner and chief executive officer.
"To play with Mario will be very special. He's a role model, for sure."
Penguins officials do not question that Crosby is the missing piece to a rebuilding project that began in 2001 with the trade of Jaromir Jagr.
The real question is whether Crosby will prove the missing piece in their bid to win a coveted slots license, which the club considers its last hope to secure funding for a new arena.
The Penguins have said that a new arena is the only way to guarantee that the organization will remain in Pittsburgh beyond 2007, when their lease at Mellon Arena expires. The addition of Crosby makes the Penguins a valuable NHL franchise that would be appealing to any city looking for a team.
"It is inconceivable to me that this team will be allowed to leave town with the team we're going to have over the next 20 years," said Penguins president Ken Sawyer. "Sidney Crosby, the rights to (2003 No. 2 overall pick) Evgeni Malkin and (2002 top draft selection) Marc-Andre Fleury -- I think this new era will be like the one we had in the 1990s."
The Penguins won back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in the 1990-91 and 1991-92 seasons.
They are interested in obtaining a slots license to build a parlor in Pittsburgh and hope to partially fund a new hockey arena with the revenue.
"I cannot believe that the Pittsburgh community will not get behind the Penguins' quest for a new arena -- not now," said ESPN hockey analyst and former NHL coach Barry Melrose. "This is huge! This is Sidney Crosby -- the next Mario Lemieux, the next Wayne Gretzky.
"This should get the deal done to keep the Penguins in Pittsburgh because, now, Sidney can carry the torch from Mario and the Penguins can legitimately compete for the Stanley Cup."
Lemieux is in the process of selling his majority interest in the franchise to William "Boots" Del Biaggio III, a California-based venture capitalist who was in town yesterday and spoke with Lemieux.
Lemieux was busy taking his daughters to a doctor's appointment when his phone rang with news that the Penguins had won the Draft Lottery.
"This is huge for the franchise to be able to get a player of his caliber," Lemieux said.
When asked how the likely addition of Crosby will affect the Penguins' slots license bid, Lemieux said: "It's not going to hurt, obviously.
"Now that the kid will be here for his entire career, he'll allow us to win every year."
Even winning every year won't be enough for the Penguins to secure a slots license, according to Dick Skrinjar, director of communications for Democratic mayoral candidate Bob O'Connor.
Skrinjar said that while the coming of Crosby is great news for hockey fans in the region, the Penguins still must present a plan for economic development if they hope to land a slots license.
The Penguins have yet to make public their proposal for a slots license, only their intent to bid on one.
"Bob (O'Connor) has said all along that (proposals) have to be tied into an economic development plan," Skrinjar said. "It's not about gaming or one facility; it's about a proposal for economic development for Pittsburgh and the region.
"Getting (Crosby) does not change the requirements. This is still about what the Penguins will bring to the table with the proposal."
What the Penguins will bring to the table in October when the NHL returns from a one-season hiatus is the potential of pairing their prince, Crosby, with their king, Lemieux.
It's a possibility that already has fans abuzz.
"I think it's fantastic," said Wayne Eremic of Murrysville. "Mario Lemieux is going to be dancing in the streets.
"I mean, there's nothing but promise for this team. If they can get a new arena, there's no stopping them."
